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Background and purpose: Motor fluctuations are a significant driver of healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) in people with Parkinson's disease (pwPD). A common management strategy is to include catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) inhibition with either opicapone or entacapone in the levodopa regimen. However, to date, there has been a lack of head‐to‐head data comparing the two COMT inhibitors in real‐world settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in HCRU and effect on sleep medications when opicapone was initiated as first COMT inhibitor versus entacapone. Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed HCRU outcomes in pwPD naïve to COMT inhibition via UK electronic healthcare records (Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episodes Statistics databases, June 2016 to December 2019). HCRU outcomes were assessed before (baseline) and after COMT inhibitor prescription at 0–6 months, 7–12 months and 13–18 months. Opicapone‐treated pwPD were algorithm‐matched (1:4) to entacapone‐treated pwPD. Results: By 6 months, treatment with opicapone resulted in 18.5% fewer neurology outpatient visits compared to entacapone treatment; this effect was maintained until the last follow‐up (18 months). In the opicapone group, the mean levodopa equivalent daily dose decreased over the first year and then stabilized, whereas the entacapone‐treated group showed an initial decrease in the first 6 months followed by a dose increase between 7 and 18 months. Neither COMT inhibitor had a significant impact on sleep medication use. Conclusions: This head‐to‐head study is the first to demonstrate, using 'real‐world' data, that initiating COMT inhibition with opicapone is likely to decrease the need for post‐treatment HCRU versus initiation of COMT inhibition with entacapone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat treatment represents an alternative method to fungicides to control latent fruit pathogens, such as Cadophora luteo‐olivacea of kiwifruit. This study reports the efficacy of different hot water (HW) and hot air (HA) treatments (45, 50, 55, 65, and 70°C with durations of 10, 15 or 20, 5 or 10, 5, and 3 min, respectively) on the conidial and mycelial growth of fungal isolates by in vitro assays. Both treatments at 70°C were the most effective in inhibiting conidial and mycelial growth of C. luteo‐olivacea isolates. Treatment efficacy for HW and HA was on average 88% and 71%, respectively, on mycelial growth, and 100% and 91.3%, respectively, on conidial growth. A significant reduction of xylanase and pectinase enzyme activities of the isolates was detected after HW and HA treatment (70°C × 3 min). In most cases, both treatments showed a total reduction, sometimes varying with the target isolate. HA treatment was the most efficient treatment for reducing the skin pitting incidence in in vivo experiments, showing an average efficacy of 46.6%. Results show that heat treatments are effective against C. luteo‐olivacea, but the main challenge will be to develop the optimal time × temperature combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The difference in antagonistic activity against the causal agent of grey mould (Botrytis cinerea) of tomato between Aureobasidium strains belonging to three different species, namely A. pullulans, A. melanogenum and A. subglaciale, was evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assays. In the yeast–pathogen direct interaction experiment, all the strains significantly reduced B. cinerea growth, with A. melanogenum the least efficient species (17.8% of reduction) compared to A. pullulans and subglaciale (22 and 27.8%). The non‐volatile metabolites produced by all three species reduced mycelial growth between 95 and 100%. These metabolites were characterised by FT‐IR spectroscopy as polysaccharides, lytic enzymes, siderophores and antibiotics. The inhibitory effect of Aureobasidium strains on pathogenic enzymes such as xylanase, polygalacturonase and pectinase was measured showing A. pullulans strains as capable of strong inhibition of xylanase, an enzyme directly related to the virulence of necrotrophic pathogens such as B. cinerea. Our data demonstrate that the different species of Aureobasidium isolated from a range of non‐conventional environments exerted variable efficacy against B. cinerea, with A. pullulans as the most active species followed by A. subglaciale and A. melanogenum as ineffective and not suitable for biocontrol applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectra of 5 amphiphilic oligopeptides derived from EAK16 (AEAEAKAK)2, used as biomimetic coatings for medical devices, were obtained at 10−5–10−6 M in order to study the effects of systematic amino acid substitution along the peptide chain on the corresponding interaction with Ag colloidal nanoparticles. In addition, quantum‐mechanical data on 2 of the examined peptides were very useful for clarifying the assignment of bands, widely debated in the literature. In general, the peptide–nanoparticles interaction takes place through the COO− groups. The substitution of Ala by 2‐aminobutanoic acid in the sequence, corresponding to an increase of the hydrophobic chain length, is able to affect the peptide–Ag colloid interaction. It strengthens the interaction with NH3+ groups, mediated by the Cl− anions present in the colloidal solution, although the charge transfer interaction with the COO− ions remains the dominant interaction mechanism. When Tyr substitutes the hydrophobic Ala, the interaction mechanism is strongly affected because it takes mainly place through the Tyr residues, where the aromatic rings are predominantly perpendicular to the silver surface, partly as tyrosinate ion. Thus, the addition of the Arg‐Gly‐Asp sequence, useful to provide control on the bioactivity of the bone regeneration materials, does not change the interactions with the colloid, because the spacer amino acid substitution is the main factor affecting the peptide–nanoparticle interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Seed oil and flours have been attracting the interest of researchers and industry, since they contain various bioactive components. We monitored the effects of ripening on lipids, monomeric flavan-3-ols, proanthocyanidins and tocols concentration in seed extracts from organically cultivated cv. Sangiovese vines. RESULTS Linoleic acid was the most abundant fatty acid, followed by oleic, palmitic and stearic acids. The tocols detected were α-tocopherol, α-tocotrienol and γ-tocotrienol. The proanthocyanidins degree of polymerisation ranged from dimers to dodecamers; moreover, monomeric flavan-3-ols and polymeric proanthocyanidins were detected. Total flavan-3-ols (monomers, oligomers and polymers) concentration in grape seeds decreased during ripening. CONCLUSIONS Fatty acids reached the highest level in post-veraison. The concentration of these compounds varied considerably during ripening. Capric acid has been found for the first time in grape seeds. α-Tocopherol and γ-tocotrienol decreased during ripening, while α-tocotrienol increased. The HPLC analysis with fluorimetric detection, conducted for the first time on cv. Sangiovese, revealed that the concentration of flavan-3-ols monomers, oligomeric proanthocyanidins and polymers greatly changed during ripening. These results suggest that the timing of bunch harvest plays a crucial role in the valorisation of grape seed flour. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are epigenetic repressors required during key developmental processes, such as maintenance of cell identity and stem cell differentiation. To exert their repressive function, PcG proteins assemble on chromatin into multiprotein complexes, known as polycomb repressive complex 1 and 2. In this review, we will focus on the role and mode of function of PcG proteins in the development and regeneration of the skeletal muscle, both in normal and pathological conditions and we will discuss the emerging concept of modulation of their expression to enhance the muscle-specific regenerative process for patient benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EAK16 (AEAEAKAKAEAEAKAK) and seven alternating polar/hydrophobic oligopeptides (derived from EAK16 by primary structure modifications) were tested for their resistance to free radical attack, in view of their possible use as biomimetic coatings of biomedical devices; in fact, oxidative radical stress, mainly due to hydroxyl radicals (•OH), is a common physiological condition occurring under acute or chronic inflammatory response. •OH radicals, mimicking an endogenous radical stress, were generated by gamma-radiolysis of water solutions. IR and Raman spectroscopies were used to investigate the damages induced by free radicals on the oligopeptides, in particular on their folding and inter-chain interactions. Some oligopeptides, i.e. EAK16 (pept1), pept3 (obtained by K → O substitution), pept5 (A → Abu substitution), pept7 (insertion at the N-terminus of the RGD sequence), and pept8 (RGD insertion and 'scrambling' of the sequence) were not severely affected by the treatment and retained their prevalent structure (i.e. α-helix for pept8 and β-sheet for the others). The other peptides, i.e. pept2 (obtained by E → D substitution), pept4 (E → D and K → O substitutions) and pept6 (A → Y substitution), showed significant conformational changes (i.e. increase in the α-helix content) upon irradiation. In pept2 and pept4, modifications in hydrophobic and ionic interactions were observed; the latter were mainly ascribed to the decarboxylation of acidic amino acids. In pept6, the main target of the •OH attack was Tyr, as deduced by the strong variations observed in Tyr bands both in IR and Raman spectra. This study may contribute to gain insight into the different biological performances of the EAK16-derived peptides and to identify the most adequate materials usable for bone regeneration. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]